Talent Management - October 2008 - (Page 21)

might ﬁt in the organization. Many winning sports organizations are not built around the highest-paid or most talented players, but rather those who bring out the best in each other — often called “role players.” The recruiting process must therefore make tradeoffs between technical capability and cultural ﬁt. An executive might have all the right knowledge and experience a company desires, but that leader may not have the style and values to match the company’s culture. The extent and type of on-boarding support has to match that of the new leader’s needs requirements. Transition coaching — a specialized and deeply involved process — is often the best way to go. For lower-level managers and frontline supervisors, on-boarding processes can be deployed effectively through a combination of short programs such as webinars and online support tools. Regardless of cost and support, no Done well, on-boarding accelerates new hires’ time to performance and contributes to talent retention. Develop a Uniﬁed Transition Approach As companies strive to create an on-boarding system based on the three pillars, they also should avoid adopting multiple, potentially inconsistent transition models. On-boarding is just one critical type of transition. Others include promotions and international assignments. There is no reason to have a different conceptual model and set of supporting tools for onboarding than for promotion or international moves or other types of transitions. Everyone should speak the same transition language. The same leader who is on-boarding today will move to a new role tomorrow and get promoted the next day. By adopting a single uniﬁed transition model, companies can institutionalize a durable transition capability that helps accelerate everyone. Success in doing this is a sustainable source of competitive advantage. Finally, as with any business decision, cost has to be a major factor when designing on-boarding systems. Before structuring an onboarding process, decide the best way for the company to manage on-boarding program costs. on-boarding system will be effective unless executives are cognizant of their companies’ cultures, political wiring and how to be up-front during the recruiting process. The key is to provide on-boarding support in real time, recognizing that newly hired executives beneﬁt most from getting some support — such as diagnosing their new organizations — immediately, and other types later — such as setting goals and driving team alignment. Giving too much support too early could overwhelm an executive. But waiting too long could create post-transition regret: “Why are you telling me this now, when I’ve already made mistakes?” It’s critical for organizations to consider all factors before instituting a transitioning process. An efﬁcient and effective on-boarding system will help new executives quickly assimilate to their new surroundings and ensure the company gets the right person for the job. Dr. Michael Watkins is a co-founder of Genesis Advisers, professor of general management at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and author of international best-seller, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at all Levels. He can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com. http://www.thetrainingassociates.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - October 2008

Talent Management - October 2008 Editor’s Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Foundations The Three Pillars of Executive On-Boarding Role-Based Assessment: Thinking Inside the Box Who's Going to Speak Up for Health Care? Obey the Push to Automate Managing the Star Performer No One Wants to Work With Adopting a Mutual-Funds Model for Talent Management Hewlett-Packard: Simple Talent Management in a Technical World Team Effort Pays in Talent at London Business School The Employee Survey: What’s in It for Me? Why Most Managers Are Stuck Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential

Talent Management - October 2008

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